Sir Denis Bernard | |
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Born | 22 October 1882[1][2] St George Hanover Square, London, England |
Died | August 25, 1956 Galway, Ireland | (aged 73)
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | British Army |
Years of service | 1902–1941 |
Rank | Lieutenant General |
Service number | 6014[3] |
Unit | Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) Royal Ulster Rifles |
Commands held | 3rd Division 1st Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles |
Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order |
Lieutenant General Sir Denis John Charles Kirwan Bernard, KCB, CMG, DSO (22 October 1882 – 25 August 1956) was a British Army officer who commanded the 3rd Infantry Division shortly before the outbreak of World War II. He was also Governor of Bermuda and General Officer Commanding the Bermuda Garrison.[1]
Bernard was born in London, the son of Percy Bernard MP. He was educated at Eton College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and commissioned into the British Army as a second lieutenant in the Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) on 22 October 1902.[4][5]
He fought in World War I as a River Transport Officer with the British Expeditionary Force and then served in France, Gallipoli, Salonika and Egypt.[5] He was appointed Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles in 1927, Brigadier-General of the General Staff at Northern Command in India in 1930 and Director of Recruiting and Organisation at the War Office in 1934.[5] His last appointment was as General Officer Commanding 3rd Division in 1936 before he retired in 1939.[1][5]
In retirement he became Governor of the Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Bermuda Garrison.[5][6] While serving as Governor he had to consider proposals for American military bases there: these proposals were bitterly opposed by the local people at the time despite the war-time needs of the American military[7] and he resigned at the request of the British Government in 1941 "to make way for a civilian".[8] Bernard Park in Hamilton, Bermuda is named after him.[9] His family home was Castle Hacket House in Galway,[10] where he died in 1956, aged 73.[1]